Imitation firing mechanism for training arms



EQQ6Q9QQ70 36 38 8- 1 w. 5. DUNN 2,406,493

IMITATION FIRING MECHANISM FOR TRAINING ARMS Filed Jan. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

W. G. DUNN Aug. 27, 1M5.

IMITATION FIRING MECHANISM FOR TRAINING ARMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1943 Patented Aug. 27, 1946 IMITATION FIRING MECHANISM FOR TRAINING ARMS Vlilliam G. Dunn, Clarinda, Iowa ,Application January 8, 1943, Serial No. 471,741

3 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved form of training arm, as used for military purposes in training new men.

In many instances it is undesirable to put an operative rifle into the hands of recruits who have had no training or instruction in the care and use of such arms. But for practice and drill purposes, it is desirable to provide an inexpensive arm which will correspond closely to a standard weapon in appearance, size and. Weight, and it is further advantageous if such an arm incorporates certain operative features which will enable the carrying out of the customary manual of arms drill. Specifically, it is desirable to have an operative bolt action and a trigger mechanism which is cooked by operation of the bolt.

It is an object of my invention to provide a training arm having the advantageous features just outlined.

It is a further object to provide a bolt action mechanism capable of being produced by relatively low cost manufacturing methods.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a trigger action, cocked by operation of the bolt, and releasable by pulling the trigger, with a feel and a click sound simulating the action of a rifle that will shoot.

It is a further object to provide a trigger action mechanism which can be cheaply assembled from cast parts without the necessity of machining operations, and which requires only a single spring.

With these and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are atrained. as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 i a side elevational view of a training arm embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a top View of the same;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View of the fore part of the arm, on a somewhat larger scale than Figure 1; V V

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line i4 of Figure 2 and Fi ure 5;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the trigger action and a part of the bolt. the view being partiv in elevation and partly in vertical section on the line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but shows the parts of the trigger mechanism in cocked relation;

Figure '7 is a perspective view showing the main casting of the trigger mechanism, and the two principal operating members, in exploded relation;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure Figure 9 is an enlarged plan view of the portion of the arm including the bolt action, parts being broken away to show the construction;

Figure 10 is a development, showing the blank from which the bolt housing is made up, and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View, taken on the line |l-ll of Figure 9.

In the drawings, the reference numeral H] indicates generally the wooden stock, which may be provided with a regulation sling strap l2. Around the stock are bands I 4 and [6, each carrying sling loops [8 on fittings 2!), these parts corresponding to those on the prototype arm which my training arm simulates. On the under side of the band i6 is a bayonet fitting 22. The barrel 24 consists of a short length of rod, with a hole, indicated in dotted lines at 26, drilled at the outer end to simulate the bore. The rod extends into a hole 28 in the stock and is retained by a screw 30 which fastens the band I 6 and its accompanying fitting 2!]. This screw extends into the barrel 24, as indicated in Figure 3. If the barrel is made of metal, a countersunk or shallow drilled hole 32 may be provided to receive the end of the screw. If the barrel is made of wood, this is not necessary. The barrel may be provided with a front sight 34.

The portion marked 36 in Figure 1 is formed as a part of the wooden stock, but is painted black, to correspond to the blued metal parts which are found in the prototype at this point. A leaf type rear sight 38 may be mounted on the top, in the customary manner.

The bolt action of m training arm, indicated generally by the numeral 49, consists principally of a bolt 42 having an operating lever 44 attached to a cam 45 at the rear end of the bolt. The bolt is slidably mounted in a housing 48, and at the forward portion of its movement bears against a coil spring 50 which is mounted in the stock, as shown in Figure 9.

The housing I form from a heavy sheet metal blank 52 having an outline such as that illustrated in Figure 10. The blank is bent along the dotted lines 54 and 55 to form the angles 58 and 60, respectively, as seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 11, and the tongues 62 and 64 are curved to fit across the top of the bolt, meeting the similarly curved edge 65 of the blank, as may also been seen in Figure 11. The formed-up housing has a fiat bottom, so that it may be easily and firmly mounted by screws in the notch provided for it on the top of the stock.

The shape of the blank leaves an elongated slot 68 on the top side of the housing when it is formed up as described. A fillister head. screw 19 is carried by the bolt 42, the diameter of the head being such as to occupy substantially the full width of the rear portion of the slot. In its forward portion, the right hand side of the slot, as the gun is viewed from the rear, is widened. by reason of the additional cut-out 12 in the blank.

The screw is located on the bolt at such a point that, as the bolt is slid forward, the spring 50 must be compressed somewhat before the bolt are frictionally retained thereby. The entire asso that the hammer member can move clockwise,

head can pass around the corner M of the housing, when the bolt lever 44 is moved downward. Thus, when the bolt is rotated by pressing down on the lever, the head of the screw ID moves downward into the notch 15. A portion '58 of the edge of this notch is inclined slightly toward the rear, so that the bolt is locked in the notch under the influence of the spring 51 The result is a bolt action which has a feel very closely resembling that of a gun that will shoot.

For economy in the use of metal, I prefer to make thebolt itself as a metal tube 8%, formed up, like the housing 48, from a flat sheet. In training arms using such construction I have found it advisable to fill the tube with a wooden plug 82, both to give a square surface on the for.- ward end of the bolt for adequate bearing against the spring. 5%, and also to extend rearwardly as the member 84 simulating the cocking piece on an operative rifle. .Vooden parts such as this may be given a black or blued finish to imitate thev metal parts which they are supposed to represent.

The trigger action of my practice arm is. particularly illustrated inFigures 4-8. The trigger mechanism is made particularly convenient for economical manufacture by reason of its arrangement as a subassembly carried on the main cast- 3 ing or frame 36, which has a side wall portion 88 and end wall portions 98. It carries the trigger guard 92 and mountingears 94. The operative parts of the. trigger mechanism consist of the trigger 96 and the member $3 which I shall refer to as'the hammer. The main frame 86 has mounting posts It!) and I02 cast integral therewith, and the hammer and trigger elements have cored holes M14 and W6 fitting overthe posts.

Recesses H38 and. H0 are provided in these elements to receive and retain a coil spring H2, which is under compression at all times. when in its workingposition. By reason of the relation of the recesses 98 and H0 to the pivot holes I94 and Hit, the spring, tends to rotate both .the hammer member and the trigger member in clockwise directions, as viewed in Figures 5 and 6. The main frame carries a stop H4 which limits clockwise rotation of the hammer member 98.

The parts 86, 96 and 98 can be made up as castings in the form shown in Figure '7 and, if properly made, they need no further machine operations other than tumbling to clean them and remove sharp edges.

The trigger and hammer ar put inplace on.

the mounting posts and the spring H2 is pressed intoits recesses. The open side of the mounting plate 88 is then covered by a simple sheet metal plate H6 having side flanges H8 and I which overlap the end walls Q0 of the main frame, and,

' 66; which gives a sharp click, very condition, as illustrated in Figure 6.

allowing the head !28 to strike against the cam similar to that occurring in the regulation rifle when the trigger is pulled.

In Figure 4, the lever is shown in fuli lines in the position it normally occupies after the gun is cocked. After the trigger has been pulled, the lever is raised to the dotted line position of Figure 4, which swings the lobe 635 of the across the head i28 of the hammer member, depressing the head and thus rotating the hammer member counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure 5, to the point where the notch let slips over the pawl I32, the force of the spring tending always to move the trigger 95 into latching engagement with the pawl. The trigger mechanism is then in cocked The bolt maybe slid rearwardly, as if to expose the chamber in the usual inspection routine, and may then he slid back and rotated again to th full line position of Figure 4. As I have indicated, the gun is then cooked and pullin the trigger will release the hammer member. The shape of the cam is such that in the normal locked position of the bolt the head I23 of the hammer member will engage the cam before the hammer member is impeded by the stop H4. This is not a feature of substantial importance since a sharp click is obtained in either case, but it sounds more like the real thing when the impact takes place against the cam on the bolt.

In addition to the fact that the single spring supplies the force both for operating the latch and for actuating the hammer, my structur has the advantage that pulling the trigger further compresses the spring. As a result, the trigger feel" is very similar to that of an actual rifle;

also, after the latch is disengaged when the trigger is pulled, the further movement of the trigger lever is such as to follow the spring, tending to keep the force against the hammer from decreasing, and giving a good snappy action.

A substantially flat bearing surface use is formed on the trigger 86 adjacent the notch or recess i30, to lie against the pawl 532 when the latter is not engaged in the recess. The bearing surface is of such extent as to follow the pawl to the extreme limit of the hammer movement as determined by the stop member il i. When the hammer is being cooked, the pawl slides freely back along the surface ltfi until the recess I38 is reached; when the recess receives the pawl, the hammer is cooked. 7

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have devised a structure adequately fulfilling the various objects originally set forth. The arm made as described may be employed for ordinary drill purposes, and in such use will simulate the desired operative functions of a real rifle. Yet it can bemanufactured at very low cost, eliminating any necessity of subjecting the more expensive equipment to carelessness or misuse.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a training arm, a stock having a recess in its under side, a mounting plate in the recess, a trigger pivoted to the plate and having a forwardly projecting portion provided with a recess in its top, and an upwardly projecting part with a recess in its front edge, a hammer pivoted to the plate above the trigger and having a recess below the horizontal line through the hammer pivot facing the last recess, and a spring seated in the last two named recesses, said hammer having a latching lug for sliding on said forwardly projecting portion and cooperating with the recess therein, said hammer having a forwardly and upwardly extending head adapted for cooperation with the breech bolt of the training arm, whereby the click of a firearm is simulated.

2. In a training arm, a cocking mechanism, including a mounting plate, a trigger pivoted to the plate and having a forwardly projecting portion provided With a recess in its top, and an upwardly projecting part, a hammer pivoted to the plate above the trigger and having a recess below the horizontal line through its pivot facing the said upwardly projecting part, and a spring interposed between the bottom of the recess in the hammer and the upwardly projecting part of the trigger, said hammer having a latching lug for sliding on said forwardly projecting portion and cooperating with the recess therein, said hammer having a forwardly and upwardly extending head adapted for cooperation with the breech bolt of the training arm, whereby the click of a firearm is simulated.

3. In a training arm, a cocking mechanism, including a mounting plate, a trigger pivoted to the plate and having a forwardly projecting portion provided with a recess in its top, and an upwardly projecting part, a hammer pivoted to the plate above the trigger and having a recess below the horizontal line through its pivot facing the said upwardly projecting part, and a spring interposed between the bottom of the recess in the hammer and the upwardly projecting part of the trigger, said hammer having a latching lug for sliding on said forwardly projecting portion and cooperating with the recess therein, said hammer having a forwardly and upwardly extending head adapted for cooperation with the breech bolt of the training arm, whereby the click of a firearm is simulated, said mounting plate having a stop lug overhanging the hammer to limit its pivoted movement away from the trigger.

WILLIAM G. DUNN. 

